A Chronology of the Most Desired Tech Gifts of the Last 30 Years

A 30-year journey through the objects most desired by technology lovers.

Everyone has their own passions, but technology seems to be one of the most transversal passions ever. Between those who enjoy it in their spare time and those who make it a real reason for living, every year millions of people go in search of the most innovative technological object. The cult of technology, however, is an expensive passion that requires significant investments to always be at the top. Precisely for this reason, every year, technophiles around the world hope for the technological gift they long for. Technological gifts now represent a priority slice in the e-commerce and physical store sector, so much so that at Christmas, tech companies around the world compete to release the most innovative products. So let's see, in the form of a timeline, an overview of the hi-tech objects and technological gifts that have represented a true object of desire for enthusiasts around the world.

No offense to fans of that brand, but choosing a single technological object to represent a certain year was simple in some cases, complicated in others. We are well aware that many years would have deserved a co-presence, but this is a "ranking" linked above all to emotions.

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After this visual history, let's see why each of these objects has iconicly represented its release year.

1988: Motorola DynaTAC 8500XL

One of the founders of the history of the mobile phone. Affectionately known as “the tile”, this portable phone was one of the first to open the mobile phone market and was therefore a highly desired object for all those who spent a lot of time away from home.

1989: Nintendo GameBoy

I still remember with extreme precision the day I bought my first series GameBoy. It didn't have colors yet and the screen was in shades of green but damn it was a real portable console! It consumed mountains of AA alkaline batteries if you didn't use it in combination with a transformer as big as the GameBoy itself but it was still the most desired technological gift for all the children of that generation.

1990: SEGA Mega Drive

On the console front, the waters were getting rough and the big manufacturers were starting to think about devices that could involve the whole family. If Nintendo was churning out masterful titles like Super Mario Bros, SEGA was trying to respond with titles of the caliber of Sonic.

1991: Super Nintendo (SNES)

The following year saw the arrival of another of Nintendo's huge successes. A console that sold over 49 million units and was desired by everyone for its fantastic titles, still in vogue today in updated versions. I'm talking about games of the caliber of Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong and Super Mario Kart.

1992: IBM ThinkPad

The ThinkPad marketed by IBM and then sold to Lenovo was one of the very first and most beloved portable computers on the market. Extremely robust and reliable, the first ThinkPad models guaranteed excellent performance for the time and were a cult object for many technology lovers in the early 90s.

1993: Intel Pentium Microprocessor

A milestone in the evolution of processors and also the source of scandal for Intel due to a bug that caused a cost of 450 million dollars in recalls for replacement. Despite its fragility, it was a holy grail for personal computer enthusiasts and even today it would be excellent as a bathroom heater given its ability to heat up terribly.

1994: Sony PlayStation

THE milestone in the history of consoles. From this console onwards the video game market has never been the same and Sony has enjoyed for years a huge competitive advantage that rivals have filled with extreme difficulty. The first console to surpass the threshold of 100 million units sold and one of the most desired technological gifts in the history of technology.

1995: Microsoft Windows 95

A real turning point from the point of view of operating systems which, due to its ease of use and competitive price, represented a fundamental point in the history of personal computers.

1996: Motorola StarTAC

The first clamshell cell phone was a cult object both for its aesthetic appearance and for its small size. The battery lasted very little by the standards of the time due to its small size but the StarTAC was a status symbol and everyone wanted one.

1997: Tamagotchi

A revolutionary object in the world of video games, which had an incredibly fast rise and an almost equally rapid fall. In 1997 it was almost impossible to know a kid who did not have a Tamagotchi or its cheap equivalent. Too bad that as much fun as it was to raise your own virtual chick, the game quickly became monotonous and frustrating. In any case, it is one of the most requested technological gifts for Christmas '97.

1998: Panasonic Portable DVD Player

We now come to an object that has seen its diffusion only in the States but that all fans of the history of technology know very well. The first portable DVD player ever produced, a Panasonic equipped with a battery and power supply that an entire generation of Americans wanted to receive among their technological gifts back in Christmas 1998.

1999: Wi-Fi

One of the turning points in the history of technology was undoubtedly the transition from wired to wireless connections. Released in 1999, Wi-Fi technology was for years the forbidden dream of all Internet users but for a long time it was a real luxury for a select few.

2000: Nokia 3310

One of the iconic cell phones of the 2000s. Considered, rightly, almost indestructible, I think I still have one turned on in a drawer for 10 years. A must have for those who could afford it and the technological gift par excellence of Christmas 2000.

2001: Sony PlayStation 2

A surprisingly long-lived console that enjoyed glory thanks to fantastic titles like Final Fantasy X. A true object of desire for all the kids of the time. Over 155 million were sold.

2002: Apple iPod

Not the first mp3 player but certainly one of the devices that marked the transition from the portable CD player to the mp3 player. Innovative in design and immediacy.

2003: iRobot Roomba

Anyone who has ever owned a house knows the hassle of having to vacuum the floor. With the advent of devices like the Roomba, managing household chores has become much easier. Given its high cost, it is still a highly desired technological gift.

2004: TomTom

GPS navigation has made car travel infinitely easier than it used to be. While in the United States the Garmin company dominated, in Europe we have experienced years of near monopoly by TomTom. A revolutionary device for the time, which many would not do without even now that smartphones can easily supplant this type of technology.

2005: Xbox 360

Sony's first real competitor after more than a decade of chasing was Microsoft, which with its 360 was able to catch up with its rival in terms of quality and surpass it by offering online gameplay functions that had been unexplored until then. Over 70 million units sold and an important piece in the history of video games.

2006: Sony PlayStation 3

He wasted no time in countering Sony that with its PS3 immediately filled the gap with respect to xBox 360 and inaugurated the PSN platform. Also for it 70 million units sold and the transition to HD technology.

2007: Apple iPhones

A device that presents itself. Over 250 million units sold worldwide and a true revolutionary object of the 2000s. First smartphone in a long series still considered among the best in terms of immediacy of use.

2008: Nintendo Wii

After more than a decade away from the radar, the Japanese company has produced a revolutionary product in the world of video games and has succeeded in what has always been one of its goals: to make video games a family affair. The wireless controllers that react based on movement in space and allow for an ultra-realistic gaming sensation are one of the factors that have decreed the enormous success of the console.

2009: Amazon Kindle

Launched on the market a couple of years earlier, the Kindle managed to establish itself as a cult object in 2009 and began to become a popular technological gift for all readers willing to switch to digital. Still at the center of the eternal struggle between purists of the paper book and the ebook, it is undoubtedly an extremely useful and versatile device.

2010: Apple iPad

The tablet par excellence to first enter the hearts of those who wanted to navigate with a device larger than a smartphone but less cumbersome than a notebook. The forefather of a very successful series of tablets.

2011: Nintendo 3DS

3D technology applied to video games has always been a goal of Nintendo and with their 3DS they have been able to add a piece of innovation to a very competitive sector.

2012: Raspberry PI

A miniature single board computer designed to inspire and educate young people around the world in computer programming. A truly versatile device that has proven to be very useful in many fields of technology.

2013: Google Chromecast

Just before most TVs became smart, Google had the brilliant idea of ​​providing a device that would allow you to manage video streaming directly from your TV, without relying on a computer. With the Google Chromecast, companies that offer subscription streaming such as Netflix, Infinity, Amazon Prime Video and many others have also had important benefits.

2014: Sony PlayStation 4

The large PlayStation family has always enjoyed admiration among video game lovers and for this reason, despite the PS4 not being particularly innovative compared to the past: it was the most requested technological gift of 2014 by the under 20s.

2015: Microsoft Windows 10

Although Microsoft has alternated excellent operating systems with real computer nightmares, Windows 10 has been welcomed by many industry experts. The improvements made compared to its predecessors have made it a must have for anyone who could have a fairly recent PC. Furthermore, the possibility of upgrading offered by Microsoft, directly from previous versions, has made it a widely used and appreciated product. Not a canonical technological gift, let's say a gift requested by Windows users from mother Microsoft.

2016: Samsung Gear S3

The quintessence of the Smartwatch was certainly the Gear S3 by Samsung, which presented an innovative and very useful product to the market. A true consecration in a sector where the Korean company has done everything to be at the top of the world.

2017: Apple iPhone X

Apple's loyalists are many and every year at the release of the iPhone scenes of delirium are created to grab the latest model. Although I believe that after the first models the Californian company has lived mostly off its income, with iPhone X important innovations have been introduced in the smartphone sector: such as Face ID. Without a doubt one of the most desired gifts in the Hi-Tech sector in 2017 and it will be for a few more years until it reaches human prices.

2018:?

What other technological marvels the immediate future will be able to give us, we cannot know. In the meantime, no one is stopping us from daydreaming, wonderful technological gifts to get our hands on!